


The Path of Night

by FyrdracaElfsciene



Series: Fair Love, Unfair War [1]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin has a sister, Developing Relationship, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fear, Friendship, Hope, Hurt, Pain, Palpatine is a git, Plots, Recovery, There is another Skywalker, trickery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-10 07:53:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2016960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FyrdracaElfsciene/pseuds/FyrdracaElfsciene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Palpatine once fooled a woman into marrying him. Her name? Shmi, Shmi Skywalker. Together, they had a daughter, and Palpatine took her and tried to train her to be a Sith. And then, in 22 BBY, she has a dream about a woman tortured by Tuscan Raiders. Deciding to investigate, the daughter, Aishling, has a chance at the life she never had - a life of love and hope, as a Jedi. . . .</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue:

57 BBY

Shmi Palpatine panted for breath, the sweat plastering her hair to her face as she saw her baby daughter for the first time. She smiled slightly, glancing between her husband, Palpatine, and her daughter. "Aishling," she whispered, tears of joy shining in her eyes, "Aishling, your name is."

Shmi gestured for her husband to join her, and with a smile, he stepped forth towards his girl of a wife. It was then that his smile grew more sinister, and Shmi's eyes grew wider. She trembled as Palpatine walked towards her and took the baby from her arms.

Palpatine's "brother" glanced at Palpatine as if awaiting orders. Shmi's tears turned to tears of fear and betrayal as Palpatine motioned for his "brother" to grab her. "Take her away," Palpatine growled, still cradling his daughter in his arms. "Sell her to the highest bidder." The baby Aishling in his arms began to cry.

49 BBY

The Emperor had captured another Jedi, Aishling had noticed. She grimaced and covered her eyes, backing away from the doors to her rooms. Shuddering, she peeked through her fingers. At last, there was a knock on her door.

Aishling skittered backwards, trying to hide behind her bed. The other child her father was raising, a boy by the name of Maul, appeared in the doorway. "Ling, come on! Master is going to torture some Jedi knight!" Maul's tone was excited, and Aishling shook her head, tears rolling down her cheek.

"Have pity, Maul! Please, I'm not in the mood for it," Aishling protested to the boy who was three years younger than she. She hugged herself, and Maul walked into the room and grabbed her elbow. Aishling tried to break free of his grip, but she failed.

A few minutes later, all she could hear were the bone-chilling, teeth-rattling screams of a Jedi padawan's being tortured to death, and that night, when she close her eyes, all she could see was his charred flesh, his grotesque injuries, his agony. She sobbed herself to sleep that night, occasionally punching her pillow or hugging it. Eight years old, and she had been forced to watch hundreds die that way.

41 BBY

Aishling could hear the shouts coming from down the hall, and she backed into the corner. Her father, the Emperor, refused to give her a lightsaber, and that was probably for the better, as she was scared of almost everything, and she would more likely kill herself with it than any foes.

Her door opened, and an unfamiliar boy slipped into her room. He closed the door behind himself, panting slightly. Aishling could see his lightsaber, and she almost gasped at the color of it: blue. The boy was a Jedi, and he was clearly quite skilled if he had yet to be captured in her father's lair.

Trembling, Aishling stepped out of the shadows and whispered, "Hello". The boy jumped, clearly as surprised to see someone else in the chambers as Aishling was. Aishling was dressed in entirely black robes, and she feared that the boy would mistake her for a Sith Apprentice like the monster Maul had become. "Don't worry, please! I won't hurt you, honestly!"

"Greetings," the boy replied. "Do you have a name, miss?" He turned off his lightsaber and stuck out his hand to shake it.

"Aishling. You have to go, or my father will catch you! He'll torture you if he catches you; please, I'll help you get out of here!" Aishling's hands hadn't stopped shaking, and she was almost to the point where she would curl up in a ball, but she knew she couldn't do that today. She had someone she could protect from what she feared would happen.

"I am fully aware of the need to leave. My master, Qui-Gon Jin, escaped, but we got separated. My name is Obi-Wan, by the way, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Aishling shook the hand he had stretched out to her, before motioning to her cabinet, which then moved to the side to reveal a door.

"I found this years back, but I don't have what I'd need to escape through it like you do. Go! Farewell!" Aishling cried, pushing Obi-Wan towards the door.

Obi-Wan stopped in the doorframe and smiled at Aishling in gratitude. "You could come; the Jedi Order would take you. And thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome, now go! I sense someone's coming!" Aishling used the Force to quickly close the door behind Obi-Wan and set the cabinet back in front of her. She had just sunk down into the crack between her bed and the wall when her door was kicked open by Maul.

Aishling stood up despite the shaking of her legs and offered Darth Maul a smile. "Hello, younger brother." She sucked in a deep breath. Biting her lip, she added, "Tell my father that I am ready to listen to his teachings and obey." Inwardly, she was cringing, but after having met one of those her father and foster brother would have tortured to death, she made a choice. She would do what she could to keep their would be victims from torture. . . .But if she became a Sith Apprentice, letting them escape wouldn't be an option. She'd have to kill them to save them.

32 BBY

Darth Maul was dead, and Aishling wasn't sure whether to be overjoyed or terrified. At twenty-five, she was one of the two Sith Apprentices. She acted the part, at least, and her heart wasn't in it. For her, it was good that Maul had gotten more missions than she. She wasn't sure she could truly stand it. She'd killed, now, and she was more broken by it than she had been by watching torture. Every night, she cried herself to sleep, punched her pillow. In some ways, she was still the terrified eight-year-old she had once been.

Fear coursed through her veins as the true significance of her foster brother's death hit her, and her eyes blazed with some sort of power. Waves of fear exploded from her, and she fell unconscious.

আ

Palpatine strode down the corridor, a small smile forming on his lips. He could feel the fear radiate off of his daughter. Relief flooded through him; he knew he had done well in sending Maul after the Queen, the Jedi, and Anakin. He knew that he had lost his less powerful apprentice, and he could bend Aishling to his will, or, at least, have her perform tasks he knew would break her, and with her spirit broken, he assumed he could control her.

One day, he knew, she would have enough of this, but she wouldn't fit anywhere. She would become a Sith on her own terms then, he decided. She would join the Jedi, only to be ostracized because of what she knew. She would know he was the puppet master behind everything the second she saw him in the Senate.

26 BBY

Aishling felt the tears well in her eyes, and she did the best she could not to glower at her father. She succeeded, but only just. She had to keep up this charade. . . .She was helping, she knew, and that was what kept her going.

Except now, her father had ordered her to invade a Jedi base in order to find a man called Dooku. She, of course, was aware that he was a servant of her father, and as such, she had no qualms about either handing him over to her father or killing him. Indeed, it was the other part of the orders given to her that she hated. She was to kill every Jedi she came by or bring them back.

She would only be able to help a few escape, if she could help any at all. More than maybe ten, and her father would be suspicious. She unsheathed her lightsaber, and she frowned at its color, just as she always did.

Walking into the Jedi base, she couldn't help but look at all the innocent (or not so innocent, from a certain point of view) faces that stared back at her in fear. She hated that, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Some Jedi unsheathed their lightsabers, and some fled. She used the Force to send the ones with lightsabers flying backwards so that they broke their necks upon impacts. And she fought with some of them. Her fighting was not what it could have been, though. To some extent, she wanted to be taken prisoner or killed. She honestly felt that that would be better than this existence.

She survived, and most of the Jedi lay slaughtered. Others would take the news back to the Jedi Council. She herself brought Dooku back to her father's base, and she received shining praise from him. She didn't want it.

When she went to sleep that night, she was crying, and she secretly hoped she wouldn't wake up the next morning.

22 BBY

There was a woman with dark hair, and she was languishing in a tent made of skin. She felt familiar, and love radiated off her in waves. In her sleep, Aishling smiled and hugged her chest. It was at this point in her recurring nightmare that she was her happiest. And then it all turned to hell as the dream continued.

A figure walked in, its face covers in rags with some metal bits sticking out instead of facial features. It held a club, and with the club, it beat the woman on the back until she bled. The woman cried out in pain, tears flooding down her cheeks on top of the trail of old ones. As the woman came close to unconsciousness, her shouts of pain turned to mere grunts.

Aishling's eyes flew open, and tears fell down her cheeks. A wave of anguish flew from her, and she fell back against her cot, barely conscious. The woman seemed familiar to Aishling, but she didn't know why.

What she did know was that she was going to find this woman. Later, she would request leave from her father to go to the planet in the dream: Tatooine.

আ

It was a few hours later that Aishling was readying up her ship for flight. She grimaced. She had never been a huge fan of flying; usually, it meant she was about to perform some terrible task. Maybe though, she could grow to like it without the negative connotations.

She continued making the calculations before going to lightspeed when her ship shook as her hand became slightly unsteady. Maybe she would never have liked flying.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

22 BBY

Aishling landed her ship on the surface of the planet Tatooine in the spaceport Mos Eisley. She barely managed the landing, having clipped wing on the wall of one of the hangars. She cursed softly, even though it was her fault for not practicing flying unless forced.

After landing, Aishling quickly got off her ship and payed off an attendant to keep her ship safe and anonymous. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before wiping her hands on her robes.

She snuck down the corridors of the hangar to the larger part of Mos Eisley. Aishling blinked in the bright light from the two suns. Only a couple moments had passed before Aishling sincerely regretted wearing long, black robed.

She sighed, ducking away from where two men had recently been thrown out of a bar because they had started a fistfight. She spread her arms out and sank to her knees, attempting to keep any distractions away from herself. She closed her eyes, and she reached out with the Force, seeking the woman from her nightmares.

Her eyes snapped open as she sensed two users in the Force on Tatooine — the woman and someone else. Aishling could sense where they were, and they were miles and miles away. Aishling stood up and ran through the city, looking for a suitable automotive. She found one near the edge of the city; it was a pink landspeeder.

Aishling stepped into it, and tossed a couple credit sticks to the ground before piloting it out of Mos Eisley. As quickly and gracefully as she could manage, she drove it to where the weaker signal originated. She arrived within about a mile before she turned off the vehicle and hopped out.

She grimaced, and if she had paid attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed another figure standing at the top of the cliffs in the distance. Making sure she was keeping to the shadows, Aishling approached the camp. She closed her eyes as she saw the creatures she had seen torturing the woman in her dreams.

She felt . . . anger that they were doing this. She felt as much as when she saw her father torturing people and Maul's being excited at it. But it wasn't so much anger that clouded her mind — it was disgust. It was the disgust that people could do so much harm to another and enjoy it. Perhaps she ought to have felt pity, but she felt none, not for people like this. She remained unaware of the tears in her eyes.

She breathed in deeply, locating the dying Force user. She rushed over the tent and surveyed the area surrounding it. There were two guards out front, eliminating that as a possibility. That really only left one option: through the back. She glanced around again, checking that no one was watching. Someone came up behind her and she whirled around, drawing her lightsaber. She did not, however, activate it.

Synchronized, both Aishling and the other person whispered, "Who are you?!" Something in the other person's voice made Aishling shiver.

Hastily, Aishling answered the other person's demand. "I am Aishling. And you would be?"

"Anakin. . . Anakin Skywalker. Do not get in my way! My mother is in there." the other person, Anakin, exclaimed. Aishling's eyes widened, and she bit her lip.

"Go inside, then. How did you know to come here?" Aishling whispered as Anakin used his blue lightsaber to cut through the tent.

Anakin turned to glare at her while still cutting through the wall of the tent. "I've had dreams about her, nightmares." Anakin's voice was hard, like steel or Mandalorian iron. He stared at her, warning her to stay back with is eyes, as he stepped into the hands unsteady and her legs not much more useful than jelly, Aishling followed after.

"Mom? Mom?" Anakin asked, looking at Shmi's form on a wooden rack. Aishling winced. "Mom?" Anakin repeated, cutting his mother free and catching her before she hit the ground.

Aishling hovered in the back of the tent, doing her best to stay out of the way. "Annie? Is it you?" the woman, Anakin's mother, Shmi, asked, her eyes unfocused. Slowly, as she seemingly became more alert, her eyes focused, and she found herself able to see Aishling at the exact same second Anakin gave a strangled gasp. "Who are you?" Shmi whispered to Aishling.

At that, Aishling sank to her knees beside Anakin and Shmi. "My name is Aishling. . . ." Aishling trailed off, quickly debating whether or not to say her last name. She decided against it, not wanting to taint the woman's death with the family name she had gotten from her father.

"Aisha?" Shmi queried, a light shining in her eyes that shocked both Aishling and Anakin. "My daughter?" Both Anakin and Aishling gasped; to Aishling, this realization made sense. Everything fit. This was why she felt a connection to Shmi, even in dreams. It was why she had had the nightmares to begin with. Aishling could only nod in response. And Anakin's eyes widened, and he almost smiled. "My children. I'm so glad to see you both. Now, I am complete."

"We're going to get you out of here, Mom. You're going to be okay. I'm — we're — going to make you well again, okay?" Anakin whispered to her as he rocked his mother's almost-corpse. Aishling fell forwards so that her cheek was on her mother's chest.

Don't die, please. I've seen enough death and torture without my mother being one of the victims, Aishling though, bile rising in her throat at the thought of her mother being the victim of torture. Memories of watching torture flooded Aishling's mind.

49 BBY:

Aishling's foster brother, Maul, had dragged her to where he father awaited their presence in the prison section of their fortress, more commonly known as the dungeon. Aishling attempted to hide behind Maul, but her father glared at her.

Aishling began to shake, her knees buckling. Her father smiled down at Aishling, mostly because she was in distress. "Lord Maul," Aishling's father instructed, "ensure Aishling watches."

Maul nodded. "Yes, Master." Dutifully, he pushed Aishling forward so that she was pressed against the glass. Aishling whimpered and tried to close her eyes, but Maul used the Force to keep her eyes open. Tears fell down Aishling's cheeks, and she felt a burst of something rising within her chest.

She couldn't look away when her father struck the Jedi prisoner, a Padawan. She still was forced to look as her father slowly killed the prisoner using Force Lightning. Unlike Maul, Aishling wasn't smiling; she was wailing in despair.

"This is what must happen to Jedi," her father said, staring into Aishling's eyes as if to hypnotize her. Finally, Aishling's body was allowed to slide to the ground. Aishling barely managed to turn and look at her father before she collapsed from the pain of a throat almost to the point of blisters from her screams alone and her ears ringing with the screams of the Padawan.

22 BBY:

Aishling and Anakin's mother had died, unable to finish saying that she loved her two children. At almost the second of Shmi's death, Aishling felt the Force burning in her chest and lungs before it burst from her, causing all of those unable to use the Force in the area to collapse. Milliseconds later, Aishling herself collapsed.

Anakin, however, held his mother in his arms, his face buried in her chest as he rocked her back in forth. Time passed, and Anakin never could be sure of exactly how much time had passed. Finally, at long last, Anakin stood up, his eyes slightly golden with the power of the dark side. He walked out of the tent, his inner goodness cowering in terror as the Grim Reaper within himself came forth.

He cut the heads off the guards out front. They were still unconscious. Then, Anakin edged closer and closer to the center of the camp, slaughtering any Sand Person in his path. He killed any other Sand People he could locate. As he did so, the rage within him radiated out into the Force, and even the Jedi in the Galactic Core.

Finally, the deed was done, and he walked back to the tent containing his mother and sister.

আ

Aishling stirred, and the first thing that she noticed was that something hard and metallic was under her stomach and that the rest of her limbs were dangling. Groggily she opened her eyes only to find that the reflected light was too bright for her eyes.

Taking care, Aishling rolled over so that she was facing up. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes again. While bright, it wasn't quite as bright as looking at the sand. That fact may have been due to the fact her vision was mostly filled with Anakin and Shmi, who was in his arms. The speeder bike stopped, and Aishling realized that she hadn't quite registered that it had ever been on.

Aishling slid off the bike and looked around, noticing four people she had never met before. She stood next to the bike, not sure of whether it was okay for her to greet them. Anakin, who had been behind her on the bike, also dismounted, carried Shmi to the other four. Biting her lip, Aishling followed.

Cliegg Lars looked at Aishling questioningly, and Aishling chanced a slight smile. "I am Aishling, Anakin's sister," Aishling stated, offering the man a bit of a curtsy.

"Cliegg Lars," Cliegg stated, stretching out his hand for Aishling to shake. Aishling obliged. "And this is my son, Owen, and his girlfriend, Beru." Aishling nodded, pasting a smile to her face. Aishling gestured to Padmé, cocking her head to the side.

Padmé smiled at Aishling and introduced herself. "I'm Padmé." Aishling nodded and gestured between Padmé and Anakin and winked at her. Padmé blushed and shook her head. Aishling offered her a smile before backing away slightly. "It's alright, Aishling; I won't hurt you." Aishling nodded, but she made no move.

Anakin set his mother down on the ground before storming into the house.

আ

It had been a day since Aishling and Anakin had found each other when their mother was dying, and Anakin was still a wreck. Aishling had fetched her stolen landspeeder the previous night, and she had seen the dead bodies of the Sand People.

She had not been sure she knew what she was feeling when she saw them. She had figured that this was what they deserved; they had tortured and killed her mother, after all. But there had also been disgust at the murder of them — it had been a cowardly act, and it had been completely lacking in honor. Upon her return, Aishling didn't look at Anakin, who, to her, seemed to have acted more Sith than Jedi.

Aishling tried talking to the different people on the moisture farm, but she had no words to say, so she found a patch of shade and languished there until about noon. Beru was the one to call her up for Shmi's funeral.

The funeral was short, and only the few of them were there. Throughout the funeral, Owen, Beru, Padmé, and C-3PO were silent, but they were standing near the grave. Cliegg was the first one to speak. "I know wherever you are it's become a better place. You were the most loving partner a man could ever have. Goodbye, my dearest wife. And thank you." Tears were brought to Aishling's eyes by this, and, looking at the others, it seemed there were tears in their eyes too.

Anakin stepped forward to just in front of the headstone, and he knelt down. "I wasn't strong enough to save you, Mom. I wasn't strong enough. We weren't strong enough. But I promise I won't fail again. . . .I miss you so much." At some point during Anakin's speech, the boy rose to his feet. Even after he was finished, he stared down at his mother's grave with pain in his eyes.

For her part, Aishling was not so wrapped in grief at Shmi's death as most of the others. Even though the woman had been her mother, she had only known the woman for a few moments. It was the other people's grief that had gotten her thinking. How much better was death than torture really? She banished the thought from her mind. One was a lot more painful than the other. Death was the best possible ending, the least painful. That was what she had to believe, for if she didn't, her one ally, herself, would be gone.

In the end, it was R2D2 that extracted her from her thoughts by arriving. Padmé smiled before furrowing her brow. "Artoo, what are you doing here? We told you to stay at the ship."

R2D2 replied, his response a series of beeps and whistles that no one except C-3PO understood. Always polite, C-3PO translated, "It seems that he is carrying a message from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Master Annie, does that name mean anything to you?"

Aishling, who had been listening, gasped aloud at the name. She had only heard that name once in her life, nineteen years previously, but it had an impact on her nonetheless. Anakin and Padmé turned to look at her. Aishling shrugged, fiddling with a stray strand of hair before explaining, "I met him once, nineteen years back." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she realized something. "Anakin, tell me your exact birthday." When we told her, Aishling nodded. Her brother had been born on the day. Her father had gotten those two Jedi there that day to distract father hadn't wanted her to know of her brother's birth. "We need to listen to Obi-Wan's message."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

22 BBY

Aishling hovered near the back of the cockpit of Padmé's ship next to C-3PO while the other two humans sat on chairs next to the controls. R2D2 displayed a holographic message for the three of them.

The hologram of Obi-Wan flickered slightly. "Anakin, my long range transmitter has been knocked out. Retransmit this message to Coruscant." Obi-Wan's hologram stared meaningfully at where Obi-Wan assumed Anakin would be standing. It was not Anakin who obeyed Obi-Wan's request, however; it was Padmé. She quickly pressed the appropriate button.

Obi-Wan paused his message before continuing, I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries on Geonosis. Trade Federation is to take a delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala. The Commerce Guilds and Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming an. . . Wait! . . . Wait!" In the hologram, Obi-Wan unsheathed his lightsaber and began to be attacked by beams coming from a blaster. Obi-Wan continued to back up until it was not he visible in the hologram but a pair of Droidekas. The hologram cut out.

Aishling could only stare at where the hologram had been like she had seen a ghost. Anakin stared at her, trying to read her facial expression, but for what seemed like a few minutes, it remained shocked. Finally, however, she smiled slightly.

Anakin stared at her in confusion. He opened his mouth, but he was cut off by a hologram of Jedi Master Mace Windu. "Anakin, We will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority," Windu stated, his voice saying that he was not to be disobeyed.

Aishling smiled slightly, but when the others looked at her, she shivered. "I've got a ship at Mos Eisley. I can get to Geonosis faster than they can, and you've been ordered to stay here and protect the Lady Senator Padmé Amidala."  
Padmé shook her head and stared incredulously at Aishling, who merely grimaced in reply. "We're only a parsec away. If you think I'm just going to sit around here. . . .And Windu did say his job is to protect me! We can save Obi-Wan." Padmé turned to Anakin, begging him to agree with her.

"If he's still alive," Anakin confirmed, his tone sardonic. Aishling fixed him with a withering gaze.

"He's alive. We've just got to hope he's fine; killing simply isn't the Siths' style," Aishling whispered, tears shining in her eyes. Padmé raised her eyebrows at Aishling, who grimaced in response. "I've got experience."

"Annie, you've got to save Obi-Wan. I'm going with or without you." Padmé stared at Anakin, begging Anakin with her eyes to come. Anakin nodded and pressed the controls on the ship that caused it to hover.

Padmé quickly did the calculations for lightspeed. Aishling held onto a chair and a stream of curses exited her mouth as they entered hyperspace. C-3PO muttered about hating flying.

Anakin smiled slightly and turned to Padmé. "Obi-Wan feels the same way about flying." Aishling and Padmé laughed slightly.

আ

Padmé and Anakin, along with the two droids, had just left the ship. Aishling sighed and rubbed her temples, tears shining in her eyes. Now that she had found these people, she couldn't bare to let them go.

Aishling decided that she would take the Senator's ship and go in the front entrance. She managed the flight — mostly. Her flight was not the steadiest, but she hadn't crashed either, which was a plus.

She wiped her eyes, and she tried to still her hands before she walked out of the ship. She succeeded, for the most part. She knocked on the front door, and when she received no response, she forced it open using the Force.

Strolling in, Aishling used the Force to locate the people to holding Obi-Wan captive. She huffed when she felt Anakin's distress in the Force, and then she winced. Her brother had gotten himself captured too. Aishing groaned and went to where the captors were.

She walked through the droid foundries, her eyes almost as round as saucers as she looked at different features in equal parts fear and horror. Droids bothered her. Sure, it was better than sending people into battle, but she didn't like that they were engineered solely for war.

Finally, she reached the box where the most powerful on the planet were to watch executions. Aishling caught sight of one person dangling from a pillar, and a carriage bringing two people out. Aishling hissed, passing the two super battle droids that were guarding the box. Then she turned around and quickly decapitated the two droid with her lightsaber. All she could do was hope the politicians in the box hadn't heard.

Aishling stepped out into the sunlight. "Salutations, Lord Tyranus and Separatist Leaders." She offered them a shaky smile, trying her best not to seem cowed.

"Lady Aishling," Darth Tyranus returned, a sickening smile on his face. "Have you come to see the executions? They should be. . .rather entertaining."

Aishling drowned out the sounds of Sun Fac's speech, not wanting to hear about how people were about to die. She closed her eyes and rested her heads in her arms as she tried her best to make herself comfortable. She heard the sound of the gate that would let whatever savage beasts out so that they could kill.

Aishling stood up and turned to Darth Tyranus and the others. "No, er, my lords, I object." She smiled slightly, and it seemed strange on her face. "Darth Tyranus, what would you say to a duel? I win, you let me and Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, and Obi-Wan Kenobi go, and if I lose, all four of us get executed." She was betting entirely on using the Force as her skills with a lightsaber were still rather limited.

Darth Tyranus nodded and called his lightsaber to his hand using the Force. Aishling decided that this may have been a really bad idea. She cocked her eyebrows and gestured for their duel to begin.

Aishling's first move was to use the Force to send Tyranus over the edge of the platform, or at least, to pretend to. Tyranus fell for it and was slammed against the railing before he could counter it, but when she attempted to use the force again in a follow-up attack, Tyranus aimed his lightsaber right at her chest. Aishling's eyes widened, and she raised up her hands.

"You lost, Lady Aishling," Tyranus said, sounding smug. "It's a wonder you were never killed by any Jedi on your first mission. You should have listened to the training our Lord Sidious gave."

Aishling shook her head. "I don't think you've yet to win." Her lower lip was trembling. She tried to use the Force, but it seemed she was unable to, mostly because she had yet to properly recover from her Force-explosion from right after her mother's death. She cursed slightly. "Maybe you have won." She spat out another stream of curses as her hands became even less steady.

Darth Tyranus forced her against the rail, and one of the Separatist leaders cuffed her hands. "Execute her with the others."

আ

The Geonosian guard attached Aishling's handcuffs to the chains on the pillar next to Padmé. Padmé glanced at the guard as if worried he'd turn and see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was negotiating rather poorly for your lives, and I threw mine into the balance too," Aishling explained, blowing on one of her braids that had fallen in her face. At the very least, she'd like to be able to see the beast that would be her doom.

The beasts approached, and any hints of conversation died away. Padmé, Aishling had noticed, had climbed all the way to the top of her pillar, much to the irritation of the crowds. Aishling figured that Anakin and Obi-Wan had figured out a plan. Aishling, however, had no plan, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted one. She had killed many Jedi in her life,particularly in her last ten years, and she had seen so much torture. She had felt so much fear, and now, with a chance to end it, she was almost happy to go. She had, after all, had a subconscious wish for someone to kill her for years, just to end it all for her.

She peeked to her left, and she saw Padme's creature staring up at her. It was a Nexu, Aishling recognized, and it looked hungry. Aishling wondered exactly how long it would be before it would follow her up the pillar.

Aishling looked farther to her left. Anakin was being charged by a Reek, and from the looks of it, he seemed almost excited. That's what his posture said at least. Obi-Wan was staring up at his creature, an Acklay, somewhat tensely. Aishling decided that they were going to be alright.

She looked at her own creature, an avian creature she couldn't recognize, and she decided that this would not be a pleasant death. A moment later, she decided that this would not be her death at all.

She could feel a bit of extra adrenaline pumping through her system, and with it, a little bit of her ability to use the Force returned. She used that to unlock her handcuffs. Unfortunately, this happened to be the exact moment her creature swooped down at her with its talons. She stared up at it, trying to fathom what her course of action would be.

A metaphorical light-bulb went off in her just another short moment, Aishling jumped at her creature, barely grabbing hold of its legs. Aishling clung to the creature's legs, trying to figure out what she could do now. Silently, she thanked her burst of adrenaline for keeping the fear at bay.

The creature came up with a plan before she did. It bumped her into her pillar, and she let go of it and hit the ground with a coughed, picking herself off the ground just as the creature swooped down at her again. She rolled to the side just in the knick of time and stood up again.

She pulled out her lightsaber. She didn't comprehend why it hadn't been taken from her. After all, it was a weapon she was bound to have as a user of the Force. Then again, she had failed to use it in her and Tyranus's duel, so she guessed that they must have assumed she no longer had it.

She frowned while silently lamenting the fact she no longer had a choice but to use it to end the creature. She unsheathed the blade, and she sincerely hoped that the others were now able to see the color of the blade.

The creature swooped down again, and this time, instead of dodging it or leaping at it, she plunged her blade into its stomach, ending it quickly. Extracting her blade and quickly switching it off, Aishling looked up.

The Geonosians' cries had died down, and it seemed some of them were staring at her blade and then looking around nervously. She ran towards the Reek, which Anakin had apparently managed to tame during her battle with her creature. Looking at the three people currently on the Reek, Aishling asked, "Can I join you all?"

"Why would a Dark Lady of the Sith want help from the Jedi?" Obi-Wan asked, quirking a brow. Aishling sighed heavily.

"If things could have changed and I could have been a Jedi, then I would rejoice," Aishling whispered, hanging her head. She kept her eyes fixed to the ground, unable to meet Obi-Wan's stare.

"Are you the Sith Lady that killed the Jedi at Fort —" Obi-Wan started, but Aishling, not wanting to hear his accusatory words, interrupted him.

"Unfortunately, but it was the only way to keep my father from getting a new Apprentice who would have tortured them to death." Tears formed in Aishling's eyes, and some dripped onto the sandy earth. She knelt on the ground and cast her own lightsaber to the side. "Please, just end it all for me. Just end it, the screams, the fear, everything. Please." At this point, her tears were falling more readily. Then her vision blurry, she looked up.

She found a hand stretched out for her to take for her aid climbing up to the Reek's back. She gaped at it, furrowing her brow. Not questioning the generosity given to her, Aishling let Obi-Wan help her up. So many years ago, he had unwittingly given her the strength to look past her fear. Now, his apparent mercy would give her the strength to go on just a little longer.

It was just after Aishling joined the others that doors opened all around the circumference of the arena, permitting a dozen or so droidekas to roll out and surround the Reek. Apparently, Aishling would possibly not be living much longer after all.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

22 BBY:

The only thing that saved them was the fact Mace Windu, a Jedi Master, put his lightsaber in front of the neck of Jango Fett, a bounty hunter. Aishling's eyes remained fixed on the exchange in the ducal box, not looking at the droidekas surrounding them. There was a short exchange, Aishling could tell, but she couldn't hear it. And then, Fett managed to set the corner of Windu's cloak on fire.

Windu hurdled down from the box and landed in the arena. In the stands, a plethora of Jedi revealed their presence by unsheathing their lightsaber blades and jumping down after Windu.

Droids, which had followed the droidekas out from beneath, fired up at the descending Jedi. Most Jedi made it, but all were not so lucky. Aishling glanced around, her gaze slightly unfocused. She knew so many of these people would die, and she doubted they would all be pleasant deaths.

Aishling leaned forwards slightly, getting to be about as close as she could manage without actually touching him more than the necessities for riding. Her vision zoomed back into focus, and the first thing she noticed was that Obi-Wan's hands were still handcuffed. "Here," Aishling said, offering Obi-Wan her lightsaber. "I'd free you myself, but my skills with a lightsaber are quite lacking."

Obi-Wan held up his bound wrists, showing her that he would be unable to operate the lightsaber. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Getting out of here quickly," Aishling said, feeling a weight lifting itself off of her. It was pleasant for her, someone talking to her as if she were just another person, an equal. In her experience, that had happened only once, with Darth Maul, but he was no kind soul like she presumed Obi-Wan was. Still, there was the underlying fear that he would scorn her, no matter if he was a Jedi. "Of course, that seems rather unlikely. I do think I may have another way to free you. If I may?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course." He held his hands up as close as he could manage to Aishling. Aishling covered his wrists with her hands and used the force to release his handcuffs. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble," Aishling stated, grinning nervously at him, hoping for approval. "Would you like to have my lightsaber?" She raised her eyebrows again and made to hand him her lightsaber.

"No, thank 'll be needing it," Obi-Wan protested, shaking his head. Aishling frowned slightly, worried about what this could mean. She understood that he was trying to be kind and let her keep it, but she was worried about what his rejection could mean.

She bit her lip. "I really won't. I'm a lost cause for lightsaber combat, I'm afraid." Aishling shrugged. "Suit yourself, though, really." She offered him a grin, but the grin was false. Aishling sat back on the Reek, clipping her lightsaber's hilt back to her belt.

A droid began to shoot at the people on the Reek, and Aishling did her best to repel the bolts using the Force, but she didn't entirely succeed. One blast hit the Reek, causing it to panic. Both Aishling and Obi-Wan fell off, and a moment later, Padmé and Anakin were force to leap off.

"Look out!" Padmé cried as she herself ran from the rampaging Reek. She spotted the small pod she and Anakin had been brought out in and dragged Anakin towards it. Along the way, one of the Jedi tossed a lightsaber to Anakin, and Padmé retrieved a blaster from a fallen battle droid.

Aishling and Obi-Wan did not look for cover. Aishling herself searched for any troops of droids that had managed to hold their positions. She quickly found a small pod of them.

Whatever adrenaline was pumping through her system during the battle was doing her wonders; she managed to gather what courage she had and approached the troops of droids. With a hefty kick to one of the leading droids, she sent it backwards so that it hit the droid in the line behind it and so on. She quickly repeated the process on the other lines before they wisened up and moved away. She pulled out her lightsaber and slashed the available droids in half. Aishling was pretty sure that some of the droids had said something like "uh, oh".

A second later, there were bolts flying past her as a droideka began to fire on her. She leapt backwards, doing her best to dodge the fire, but the fire tracked her. She cursed mentally, realizing that there was no way for her to avoid the bolts for much longer.

She backed away, still, before pulling out her lightsaber. She knew using her lightsaber was a gamble just because of her lack of skill at it, but she also wasn't going to last much longer running either.

The first bolt fired at her, she caught on her lightsaber. She continued on her track backwards when a Geonosian fired at her. She leapt out of the way and came up with an idea at the same time.

She changed her course. She ran towards the droideka. The Geonosian fired again just as Aishling got close to the droideka, and, instead of hitting Aishling, the sonic blast hit the droideka. Aishling grinned, her heart thumping against the confines of her chest.

Another couple of droids began to fire at her, and Aishling was forced to attempt acrobatics in order to get away. She failed. A bolt hit her foot, and she fell down to the ground, hissing in pain. The bolts continued to come, and if she continued only rolling out of the way, she'd be toast.

Aishling pulled herself over to a pile of droids and with the combined use of the Force and her own strength, she managed to pull a super battle droid between her and the droids so that she was shielded. She began to pull herself to the center of the arena, the droid resting on top of her. Eventually, she reached the Jedi, who had been pushed back towards the center of the arena as well.

It was the second she made it there that the droids and Geonosians held their fire. Aishling looked up to see Tyranus purposefully keeping the fire down. Taking the opportunity, Aishling hauled herself up so that she was standing on her good foot.

Darth Tyranus cleared his throat and magnified his voice so that it was audible to the entire stadium. "Master Windu! You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the history archives of the Jedi Order. Now it is finished." Tyranus paused briefly, surveying the scene laid out before him. Then, he continued, "Surrender - and your lives will be spared."

Aishling's gaze flickered between Tyranus and Windu, and for the first time since the onset of the battle, Aishling's personal demons returned to plague her. She hoped that Windu would not accept. The only fate that would have been left open to them then would have been torture and the loss of what they valued most. Death, and life, were it possible, were much preferable to that.

"We will not be hostages for you to barter with, Dooku," Windu shouted, amplifying his voice, just like Tyranus. He unsheathed his blade, and around him, all the other Jedi followed suit.

"Lord Tyranus," Aishling cried, also amplifying her own voice, "you and my father do not get to use anyone today or henceforth as playthings to torture." Aishling was proud of herself for keeping any of the fear that usually made her voice quiver away.

"Lady Aishling," Tyranus began. Aishling hesitantly chanced a look over at Obi-Wan. seeing if he recognized her name. So far, there was no look of recognition. Aishling felt almost forlorn that even her name wouldn't trigger his memory of when they had first met when their meeting had made such an impact on her. "You have not the position to make such claims.

Aishling stared down at the sand beneath her feet. "No, I don't." More confidently, she added, "But that is my dream for this galaxy." Her heart was racing, and her breath caught. It felt good, her standing up to Tyranus did. It felt as though she had come out of an imprisoning case and into the light of the day. She loved the feeling, she decided.

Aishling herself hopped on one foot over to where Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé were standing. Aishling glanced at the droids, who had all once again readied their weapons, and prepared herself for the end. She felt that this would be a good end, fighting in battle, and that the consequences might not be so terrible after all.

"Look!" Padmé exclaimed, pointing up at the sky. Her eyes were wide with wonder and hope. Her excitement was contagious, and Anakin was soon smiling with relief. Aishling wasn't decided if this latest development was good or bad. She hadn't heard anything of an Army of the Republic, and the fact they had gotten one so quickly, deeply disturbed her.

Six gunships descended, circling the surviving Jedi, Padmé, and Aishling. The second the ships were low enough to the ground, they all clambered on, sighing in relief.

Aishling, blinking rapidly, rubbed her temples. Relief, that was what she felt, she realized. She did, in fact, want to live past the end of this day, and something about that fact was comforting.

Then, the ship took off, still being fired at by the droids. Aishling bit her lower lips, swallowed, and blanched. She grabbed onto whatever handholds she could manage before raising her wounded foot off of the ground. Hesitantly, she peered out of the ship. Her regret of that decision came instantly. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Obi-Wan shot her a look. "And you didn't have one for challenging Dooku to a duel with your allegedly shoddy skills?" Aishling looked down at the ground, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"That was different." Aishling couldn't quite bring herself to look at the others. "This is flying." Anakin and Padmé looked each other before laughing.

"She was complaining about my flying the entire way here," Anakin stated, his expression grave like he was imparting some terrible truth. He looked at Padmé, silently asking her to confirm it. Padmé nodded.

"Flying in general," Aishling corrected, her eyebrows raised. She was about to add a disparaging comment about her own when Anakin interjected a comment to the Clone Troopers as to where to fire in order to destroy a Trade Federation ship. Obi-Wan complimented his idea, and Aishling fell silent, warily staring out over the now fully-fledged battle.

Aishling caught sight of a rather familiar ship. The ship belonged to one Darth Tyranus. Obi-Wan followed her train of vision and turned to Anakin, "Look over there." He exhaled deeply. "Aishling, do you know where he is heading?"

"No, sir, I do not," Aishling replied, the demand causing her to instinctively become more formal.

Anakin watched Tyranus for a couple seconds longer before commanding the pilot, "Shoot Dooku down." Aishling and Obi-Wan looked at the other passengers, both perturbed by Anakin's bloodlust. Eventually their eyes met for about a second before they both looked away. "Shoot Dooku down," Anakin repeated.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

22 BBY

"We're out of ordinance, sir," the pilot replied, causing Aishling to exhale in relief. She was quite glad that Anakin would be unable to kill Tyranus in cold blood. Aishling understood that her father had plans for her younger brother, and the farther her brother was from the Dark Side, the better she would feel.

Anakin growled in frustration. "Then follow him!" The pilot affirmed that command, and Aishling bit her lip.

"We're going to need some help," Padmé protested, much to Aishling's relief. If they spent long enough getting backup, Anakin wouldn't be able to kill Tyranus. Aishling smiled hopefully at Obi-Wan, asking him silently to go along with the plan. She had seen what had happened to the Sand People, and if Anakin dallied further in the Dark Side, the entire galaxy would suffer.

"No, there's no time for that. Anakin and I . . .and Aishling. . . can handle this," Obi-Wan countered. Aishling's shoulders sagged, and she grimaced. When Obi-Wan said her name, he stared at her with narrowed eyes. Her hands trembling slightly, Aishling met his gaze with one of her own. She could have sworn that she saw Obi-Wan's eyes widen in some sort of recognition and his mouth open slightly as if he were about to say something, but he stopped, tilting his head towards Anakin. Aishling nodded, understanding that Obi-Wan wanted to have this conversation in private. Obi-Wan's stare shifted away from Aishling's face. Aishling too looked in another direction.

The two fighters accompanying Tyranus stopped, and the Republic gunship containing Aishling, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan passed them by. The entire ship shook violently. Padmé tumbled from the ship with a shriek. Aishling's bad foot clang against the floor, and the owner of the foot cried out in pain, her hands releasing their grip on the handle. When she did so, she was almost thrown off the gunship by the jerkiness of its motion.

In fact, the only reason she managed to remain on the ship was because Obi-Wan caught her. Stabilized, she pushed back slightly and looked at Obi-Wan. Because she was shorter than Obi-Wan by only an inch or so, Aishling barely had to look up to gaze into his eyes. Just as quickly as she looked at him, she looked away.

"I hate flying," she grumbled, resuming her grip on the handle. She had to hide the slight smile that was on her visage. Then she caught sight of the blood on her foot and the burnt skin around the blaster wound on her foot for the first time. Seconds later, she really didn't have to worry that someone seeing her smiling.

Anakin, on the other hand, was oblivious to what was happening with his mentor and with his sister. The only thing he cared about in that moment was Padmé, and the ship's shaking had thrown her off. "Padmé!" Anakin shouted, his eyes wide. He leaned towards the edge of the ship, trying to be fast enough so that he could catch her, but by the time he made it, she was already too far gone. His eyes widened in horror as Padmé hit the ground and rolled."Padmé!" He rounded on the pilot. "Put the ship down! Down!"

Obi-Wan turned to him, his eyes infinitesimally wider than usual. He inhaled deeply, scowling at Anakin. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way," he instructed, his tone harsh. That, of course, was the only way to reach her distressed brother, Aishling understood, but she did not feel that the harshness was exactly the best way to go about it. Obi-Wan turned to the pilot. "Follow that speeder!"  
The pilot obeyed Obi-Wan, never having begun Anakin's order. That did not, however, keep Anakin from trying to persuade the pilot from helping him. Growling, he directed, "Lower the ship!"  
Aishling, after stopping and starting a couple times due to her deeply ingrained fear, placed her hand on Anakin's shoulder. She figured that now, perhaps, maybe, his concern for Padmé would stay his murderous passion. She figured, if she had to fight Tyranus, she'd lik to have a fighting chance. "Tyranus is powerful. He's one of the best trained in the Force and the arts of lightsaber fighting in the entire galaxy. I'm powerful." Aishling trailed off after the last statement. Quietly, she added, "It's the only reason I was born." Tears formed in her eyes. "But I am almost entirely untrained, and my foot was hit by a blaster bolt. I imagine Obi-Wan is impressive with a blade. I doubt either of us are a match for him. Please, pull yourself together so we can fight. Please. Padmé is alive, and she will be fine, but we won't if you can't pull yourself together."

Somewhere during Aishling's speech, Anakin turned to look at her, his eyes teary. Aishling's lower lip quivered, one of the tears in her eyes trailing down her cheek. A moment later, the siblings hugged. Obi-Wan smiled slightly at them, glad to see bonds forming between them, even if he didn't actually realize the two were siblings. Adding to Aishling's speech, he pressed, "We can end this war right now if we catch them. We have a job to do."

Staring at the other two slightly resentfully, Anakin nodded tearfully. Aishling and Obi-Wan both sighed. The rest of their ride passed in silence, the air crackling with tension.

আ

The gunship followed Tyranus to a tower, where the Sith Lord had landed just a minute or so previously. The three Force users leapt out and raced them, they could hear the sounds of an explosion as the gunship crashed. Aishling cringed. Taking her chances before Tyranus could face them, Aishling slipped into the shadows, out of the Count's view.

Tyranus flipped a couple of switches, glancing at a parked ship. Anakin glared at him with fire in his eyes. "You're going to pay for all the Jedi you've killed today, Dooku." Anakin moved his hand to the hilt of his new lightsaber.

"Anakin, we'll take him together; you go in slowly on the —" Obi-Wan began, imploring Anakin to go along with his plan.

Anakin, true to himself, grabbed and attacked. On his way, he called back, "No, I'm taking him now!" Watching from the shadows, Aishling slapped a hand to her forehead. From what she had seen, Anakin seemed to run mostly on impulse. She could have been mistaken, but she didn't believe rash decisions were something the Jedi taught.  
"Anakin, no!" Obi-Wan hollered after his Padawan. Anakin paid Obi-Wan no heed. Seconds later, Anakin regretted his raised an arm and prepared himself to shoot Force Lightning. Aishling took a deep breath. She had seen the effects of Force Lightning used countless times in torture.

After so long just standing around watching torture, she decided it was time to take action to protect her brother. Her brother cared about his life, enjoyed living. She, on the other hand, had gone so many years with less than nothing that she didn't see dying as a bad thing. Aishling pushed off the ground with her good foot and leapt into the way of the Force the wall.

She shrieked as the lightning hit her, sending electricity throughout her body. She flew back and hit the rocky wall of the tower. She grunted from the impact, and she fell to the floor, breaking her already wounded foot as well as the calf of the leg attached to it. She cursed, and with the rest of her remaining energy, she dragged herself towards the center of the room, hoping that she would be able to help in the fight against Tyranus.

However, the electricity caused her heart to beat too quickly and on no specific rhythm. Only a minute had passed before she fell unconscious.

আ

Anakin had braced himself for the incoming lightning, but it never came. He opened one eye to see Aishling taking the lightning for him. He could hear it as well. He watched in horror for a moment before springing into action. He tried to strike Darth Tyranus.

The Sith Lord in question was scarcely able to stop using and pull out his lightsaber to parry the attack in time. For a moment, they fought, their lightsabers meeting in a spectacular mixing of red and blue. Anakin's blade sliced some wires near the wall as he was driven towards the wall. The lights flickered slightly, and then the went out entirely, leaving the lightsabers as the only illumination.

Anakin continued backing away from Tyranus, purposefully backing towards Tyranus's ship. However, Anakin stumbled slightly, allowing Tyranus the opening he needed to shoot Force Lightning at Anakin. He took it, grinning. Anakin grunted at the impact, and he was slammed into the ship he had been backing towards. He slumped to the floor, half conscious, half unconscious.

আ

Obi-Wan, prior to seeing Anakin get hit with the lightning, had been checking Aishling's pulse. It had been to his alarme that he had found that her pulse was both rapid and unsteady. There was absolutely nothing he could do to help the woman.

When he saw Anakin fall, he raced over there to help as there was nothing he could do for Aishling. Tyranus gestured towards both Aishling and Anakin mockingly before sneering, "As you can see, my Jedi powers are far beyond theirs. . . and yours."

Obi-Wan shook his head. Growling, he retorted, "I don't think so." He held his lightsaber before him in a guard near his shoulder before striking at Tyranus's head. "You are no Jedi any longer."

Tyranus, as with Anakin, parried with little difficulty. Obi-Wan and the Sith Lord fought for a couple minutes. Obi-Wan struggled to parry Tyranus's cuts in time as well as strike a couple of times of his own.

Taunting, Tyranus drawled, "Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem." Obi-Wan slashed at him a couple of times only to find his attacks expertly parried. Obi-Wan was forced to take a step back, panting for breath. "Come, come, Master Kenobi. Put me out of my misery."

This time, all Tyranus received in response was a new attack and a burning glare. For a moment, it seemed like Obi-Wan could actually win the battle; he managed to force his opponent to retreat. Then, however, the tables turned as Obi-Wan became distracted by the sound of another lightsaber.

The distraction was from Anakin, but it was all it took for Tyranus to successfully slash Obi-Wan's shoulder and his thigh in rapid succession. The Jedi attempted to stay upright, but as he stumbled backwards to catch himself, he managed to trip over Aishlings collapsed form. His lightsaber skittered across the raised his lightsaber to kill Obi-Wan, who stared up at him helplessly.

Anakin, who had just fully regained consciousness and disabled Tyranus's getaway ship, intercepted Tyranus's deathblow with his lightsaber. He could almost hear his master sigh in relief. He chanced a look at his master and found the man sagged on the floor. Anakin sucked in a breath, steeling his nerves for the fight. He stared at Tyranus, smiling. Even if he lost, there was no escape for the Sith Lord.

"That's brave of you, boy - but foolish. I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson," Tyranus said, his voice thick in derision. He raised his blade to strike.  
"I'm a slow learner," Anakin quipped, actually smiling at the provocation Tyranus attempted to give. He struck at Tyranus before he could attack. What the Sith Lord meant as an attack speedily turned into an ungraceful parry. Tyranus stepped backwards.

Anakin pressed his advantage, beaming. It was at that moment Obi-Wan used the Force to give Anakin Aishling's lightsaber, which had been in the woman's belt. Anakin caught it and ignited it, fighting madly. He managed to knock Tyranus's lightsaber out of the Sith's hands.

Tyranus stared up at him. "Kill me and all of this could be yours. You could have powers beyond your wildest dreams." Straight-face, the Sith Lord at the Jedi Padawan. Anakin raised his blade to begin what could be a killing strike. "Don't think this war will be over so soon."

Anakin lowered both lightsabers and switched both of, stowing them in his belt. Instead of killing his enemy, Anakin thought for a moment, reflecting on the Jedi ordeals. Killing one's enemies was not the Jedi way. For once, he cleared his senses enough to take a prisoner. He grabbed a rock from the floor and knocked the Sith Lord unconscious.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

22 BBY:

Five days passed before Aishling finally regained consciousness. During her time unconscious, the medical droids continuously monitored how she was doing. She had only three visitors, but each of the three visited multiple times. Three days in, however, the Jedi Council sent Anakin to Naboo again in order for him to continue protecting Padmé from harm. That left Aishling with only one visitor — Obi-Wan. In fact, he was visiting Aishling when she finally awakened.

আ

Aishling opened her eyes, and she found her vision to be foggy and her head slightly achy. Her vision slowly came fully into focus, and she saw Obi-Wan checking the monitors that displayed her life signals. There was a beeping sound, signally the medical droid that she was awake.

Obi-Wan spun around, smiling. Aishling was about to attempt to sit up when she noticed that her leg and foot were encased in a metal device. Aishling settled for just smiling in return. "Hello," she said, wiping her forehead.

"Hello," Obi-Wan returned, stretching out his hand for Aishling to take. "There's a hover chair here, if you'd like to move around." Aishling nodded, accepting his help into the chair.

"Thank you," Aishling whispered, biting her upper lip as she worried about whether or not she should be more formal. Her father had always been a fan of formality, and Aishling had seen what disrespect got people who were in his presence.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied, emphasizing the "you", "for saving my rash Padawan. Your boldness probably saved both of our necks." He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded at her slightly before removing his hand.

Aishling shook her head, her heart pounding. She hadn't done it to be thanked. She didn't feel that she deserved the thank you he was giving her. She had seen thousands of people tortured with Sith Lightning, and she had wanted to save them. There was no way she could watch her own brother be one of them. She hadn't necessarily even wanted to live through it; she hadn't really anything to live for, and she had thought perhaps an end to her suffering would have been a gift. "I couldn't watch Anakin, my brother, be tortured." Tears welled in her eyes.  
Obi-Wan, calm and collected as he was, gasped, eyes widening. "You're Anakin's sister? Anakin has a sister?" Aishling knew the second phrase was meant to be a statement but it came out more as a question. Aishling smirked, feeling a bit lighter than she usually did, even though she kept having to remind herself she had no reason to be afraid.

"Half, I think. I don't know. . . .My father kept the fact I had a brother from me. I found out just over a day before," Aishling said, studying her hands. She was close to tears. She bit her lower lip. "He kept the fact I had family other than him from me." Obi-Wan bit his lower lip, trying to figure out how to comfort the woman before him. Aishling's grimaced.

"I'm sorry, Aishling. I owe you my life, you must realize. You saved my life when we first met," Obi-Wan commented, his tone pleasant. Aishling smiled, appreciating the attempt to cheer her up. She wished she could be the person he seemed to think she was, but there was too much fear, too much pain, too much sadness to be that happy. She would have loved to have led a life that would have made her that way.

"And you owe me nothing for it. For me, it was the day that I first began to try to do good and not be entirely ruled by fear. If either of us owes the other, it's me; I owe you my soul," Aishling whispered, scarcely daring to look up into Obi-Wan's face. Tears formed in her eyes and slithered down her cheeks as she looked down at her own feet. Obi-Wan's mouth opened slightly before he closed it, trying not to seem to terribly surprised.

"And you owe me nothing for it," Obi-Wan echoed, smiling warmly at the woman before him. He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped her tears, tilting her head up so she was looking at him. "After that day, I asked about you. I asked if anyone knew you. They said they didn't, and that you were a Sith and trying to gain my trust. I tried not thinking of it after that." Aishling almost chuckled in amusement before she stopped herself.

"I decided that I would keep people from torture that day in the only way I could manage. I learned to kill. Maul, his victims accounted for half of those I'd seen tortured. He like to torture people — play with his food, so to speak," Aishling replied, still averting her eyes so not to look into Obi-Wan's face.

"Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan admitted, pressing his lips together, "and I killed Darth Maul a moment later. Qui-Gon's dying wish was to see Anakin trained." Aishling looked up at him, her lower lips sticking out a little bit.

Aishling couldn't think of anything to say in response to Obi-Wan, so instead, she inquired, "How long was I unconscious?" This was the first time she had gone unconscious for reasons other than the wave of the Force being unleashed from her. It was also the second time she had gone unconscious in a couple days.

"You were out five days," Obi-Wan answered, some strain in his voice. Aishling's eyebrows rose. She hadn't expected anyone to be worried about her. Throughout her life, no one had really cared about her enough to be worried. And yet, this man she hardly knew had been worried. She couldn't wrap her head around it.

"That's a while. What's happened since then?" Aishling asked, her face pale with the news of how long she had been out. She knew from experience that a whole lot could happen in five days' time.

"Anakin captured Count Dooku —" Obi-Wan began to explain when Aishling scowled. Obi-Wan frowned as well. "What?"

"He's the newest Sith Apprentice. He calls himself Darth Tyranus —" Aishling was about to continue when she saw Obi-Wan blanch. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Obi-Wan replied, his voice a higher pitch than usual. Aishling was about to ask why he had paled when Obi-Wan continued. "He was the one that chose the template for the clone army, a bounty hunter called Jango Fett."

"And the Republic is using this army? The Jedi are using this army? It's a confirmed fact?" Aishling's eyes were wide as she asked it. She knew her father hated the Jedi, and now, there was every chance that he would use this army to destroy them. Obi-Wan nodded his head, and Aishling bit out a curse. Obi-Wan gave her an incredulous stare, causing her to look down at the floor, heat rising to her cheeks. She realized belatedly that people must not do much cursing, which stood to reasoning, seeing as they were in a temple. "We have to warn the High Council." Man and woman took off running towards the High Council.

আ

Aishling and Obi-Wan burst into the High Council chambers, where Darth Tyranus was being tried for his crimes. Tyranus, along with the others, whirled around to see the intruders. Tyranus smirked when he saw Aishling appear, even though his eyes rose slightly in surprise.

"Lady Aishling," he drawled. Aishling flinched, fearing that Tyranus's recognition would lead to her rejection from the Jedi. "You would really betray your own father and the memory of your brother to work with what? The Jedi? The Jedi that you were taught to hate all your life?"

Aishling studied the floor, heat rising to her cheeks. Obi-Wan turned to her slightly. Finally, she settled on the answer she thought would show her in the best light, even though she didn't feel it fully fit her. She didn't know if she really thought herself fit for any positive light. "If I were taught that, then I would be the worst learner in the galaxy." She grimaced. "But please," she bowed so that she was practically touching the floor, "never mind that. There is urgent business." She gestured for Obi-Wan to explain.

Obi-Wan coughed slightly as a way to clear his throat. "Miss Aishling and I were just discussing the recent turn of events with the clone army and Count Dooku's capture, and we realized that his Sith name is Darth Tyranus, and he is the same one that hired the template for the clone army." Aishling almost cursed when she saw the alarm on the Jedi Masters' faces. That meant that this had to be widespread, and it was too far to stop it entirely.

"Even now," Tyranus stated coldly, his voice hard enough to be well-nigh tangible, "the Sith are deep in the hearts of this republic you so love." Had he been one prone to maniacal laughter, his laughs would have deafened all the Jedi in the chamber.

Tears welled in Aishling's eyes, as they were wont to do. Aishling knelt down right before Tyranus, and she worried her upper lip. She placed both her hands on Tyranus's shoulders. "Could you be quiet, my lord?" Aishling inquired, her voice mocking even though her hands were quaking. "You are a cowardly worm, and you are like my father. The world would be better without you." Aishling rose to her feet and turned away from Tyranus. She strode back to just behind Obi-Wan Kenobi, staring down at the floor the entire time.

Almost the second Aishling had returned, the lights in the chamber flickered before going out completely. Aishling shrieked in surprise and instinctively clutched at Obi-Wan's arm. A moment later, she realized what she had done. Her cheeks flamed.

The lights turned back on, leaving the Jedi glancing around in alarm. It took only a matter of seconds before it was dreadfully apparent what precisely was amiss. Aishling's mouth fell open, and a strangulated gasp got stuck in her throat. She could hardly believe her eyes.

Darth Tyranus was on the floor, his head resting just in front of his knees. Aishling looked away, as it seemed, tried everyone else. Obi-Wan spied something near the door, a figure wearing a cloak embroidered with ebony and crimson.

"There!" Obi-Wan cried, and Aishling pivoted around just in time to see the corner of the cloak disappear. As soon as it was gone, Aishling looked at the Jedi Masters, her face pale.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six:

22 BBY:

"Find the murderer, you must," Yoda instructed Obi-Wan after the council had debated for almost half an hour over what its course of action would be. Aishling bit her lip and frowned at the floor.

Taking a breath to instill courage into her heart, Aishling asked, "My highest lords." She made a sweeping bow. "I humbly request permission to join on this mission." She blinked, staring up at them for a moment ere she looked away and shrank back to the shadows in the chamber.

Yoda and Mace Windu shared a look, silently considering whether that was actually a good idea. After what seemed like a shortened version of eternity, Windu nodded. Aishling blinked rapidly, and for a brief moment, she wondered if she were in actual danger of fainting from shock.

"You may go," Windu explained, and Aishling immediately understood without their saying it explicitly that this was her chance to prove that she was worthy of trust. Aishling didn't hope that they would trust her, however. She didn't think that there could possibly be a way she could prove herself true.

However, Aishling nodded and pasted a smile to her face. "Thank you, lords." Windu offered her an encouraging smile and stuck his hand out to her. With only the scarcest pause, Aishling shook the Jedi Master's hand. "Thank you."

Aishling turned to Obi-Wan, looking a little sick. "How do you track things here in the Order when you have so little to go by?" Aishling did her best not to seem embarrassed by the honest question, but having to ask that didn't help her emotionally.

"Research," Obi-Wan tersely replied, his voice almost a groan. Aishling face-palmed and closed her eyes. She hadn't ever been forced to research, but research would mean stacks of books, and seeing as she was almost illiterate, she was dreading it.

"I won't be much use at that," Aishling admitted, digging her fingernails into her palms. She frowned down at the ground. "I'm not much use." She scowled, glancing down at the marks her nails made on her flesh. She wished that she could have been useful, but the obstinance she had maintained as a way to defy the Sith would just prove her undoing everywhere else.

Obi-Wan put his hand on her shoulder, and Aishling looked at him for a second before looking away again. "No one is useless," he countered, and Aishling shook her head.

"I kept all those Jedi from being tortured," she whispered, frowning prior to continuing, "but they let me do that. I could not have done it had they fought. I haven't any skills." It was Obi-Wan's turn to frown.

"Yes, you have, Aishling." Obi-Wan's expression was sincere, and Aishling's mouth hung a little open. "You said that you've seen people tortured; you had to endure that. You have more perseverance than anyone."

Aishling shook her head, not wanting to believe the good in herself. She hadn't ever seen the good, so why would she start now? As soon as she said that, Obi-Wan's eyes widened slightly as realization struck him.

"You did not mean to wake up after saving Anakin's life." Obi-Wan's tone was only slightly accusing, but it was enough to cause Aishling to shift uncomfortably and have her eyes flicker towards the door.

With a heaving sigh, she replied, "No, I didn't. What cause have I to live?" Hands shaking, Aishling stared into Obi-Wan's eyes. Obi-Wan was forced to look away first, and the second he did so, Aishling, too, averted her gaze. She sank to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. Even over the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears, Aishling could hear Obi-Wan's breathing.

"Come on," Obi-Wan said, holding his hand out to help Aishling up. For a second, Aishling considered leaving him to do the research alone and merely wasting away on her tears, but then she grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Obi-Wan lead to Aishling down to the Archives, and the woman gave him naught in the way of resistance.

আ

Hours had passed, and Obi-Wan and Aishling's moods had decreased in quality gradually throughout, though how Aishling's mood could sink further was up for debate. Obi-Wan had looked through considerably more documents than Aishling had, primarily because Aishling's pace was so sluggish.

Obi-Wan frowned, not sure what to look at next. Aishling wasn't much better off, and she periodically stopped to massage her temples and put her head down so that the light was blocked out. Finally, a realization struck Aishling. The murderer had to come from somewhere, and the murderer had to have a place to hide nearby.

Aishling pulled up a map of the area surrounding Coruscant and stared at it solemnly. She motioned for Obi-Wan to join her there. He looked at it, frowning in thought. Aishling turned to him. "Where is someone most likely to blend in?"

Obi-Wan studied the map for a second before pointing a finger at one of the buildings. Aishling nodded slowly, doing her best to commit the map to her memory. "Where are we headed?"

"It is the Senate Building," Obi-Wan explained, and from his face, Aishling could tell that he was shocked that she had been oblivious to that fact. Aishling felt something twist in the pit of her stomach and coil around her heart. The feeling was that of embarrassment.

"Will it be permitted for me to accompany you there?" Aishling enquired, wiping her palms down her face. Aishling leaned forward and set her head down on the table with a thunk. Aishling was unsure of how to act anywhere other than her father's lair, and in battle, she had run on adrenaline, and in the Temple, it had been on instinct, but it also had been amongst the most forgiving people. In the Senate, there could be no mistakes, and she didn't know anything about the protocol. Her heart felt heavy in her chest. She almost wanted to curse at the situation, but she decided to get started on proper behavior.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Obi-Wan asked, not understanding why Aishling didn't think it would be okay. Aishling herself wasn't entirely sure either.

"Nevermind. We ought to go get changed," Aishling commented slowly. Biting her lips, she took a deep breath. Obi-Wan frowned, and Aishling assumed that he was befuddled as to why they would need to change their clothing. "If you are clearly a Jedi and I'm clearly whatever I am, we'll stick out, and the assassin will flee."

আ

An hour later, Aishling had tracked down an outfit that would fit her. It had been hard to find, and Aishling felt like she was half-naked in it. She had actually torn it off and stared at it in fear before sighing and putting it back in. It looked nice, she had to admit after looking in a mirror, but she refused to like it.

The dress itself was a collage of silvers and greys, and it cascaded down to the floor. She fastened a belt around her middle and placed her lightsaber on the belt buckle. Obi-Wan had had less troubles with an outfit. He had found long grey robes and put them on, hiding his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan smiled at Aishling when she appeared, and Aishling smiled back. However, at the same time, her skin was almost deathly-white, and Obi-Wan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be nervous. It will make you stand out." He offered Aishling his arm so he could escort her to the rooms, and Aishling took it, trying to act less afraid. She wished more than anything that it was no act. Aishling nodded.

Obi-Wan led Aishling to an airspeeder, and Aishling glared at it. She stepped into the passenger's seat, hoping that Obi-Wan's aversion to flying would have made him a better pilot. Of course, with her, it had done the opposite, so she refused to keep her hopes up. She was used to having no hope, though, so she hardly noticed.

Aishling decided quite quickly after they began that this was her best experience flying. Obi-Wan's flying was rather steady, and there was no dreadful end or anything she should be afraid of. She didn't find it enjoyable, but she didn't utterly despise it, either.

It was only a half hour that they reached the Senate Building. Aishling's jaws dropped before realizing that would blow their disguise. She had seen fortresses, but all of those were meant for battle. This building was just grand, and it astonished her. "This is incredible."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and Aishling smiled. "It is the grand house of corruption. Never trust a politician." Aishling laughed, and then her eyes widened. She had found herself happier, but she didn't know if she deserved it.

They walked into the Senate Building. And Aishling's breath quickened. The building was crowded, and Aishling felt her lips quirk upwards with a smile at all the people going about their lives.

Obi-Wan guided Aishling to the Great Convocation Chamber. Aishling was stunned by how massive and how many people there were contained within. She stifled a gasp, surveying the room. There were more people than she had ever really seen before, with the exception of the Geonosian Arena, and she was in awe.

However, the voice ringing out across the Arena was what concerned her more. She could feel her breath coming faster as her eyes widened. There was a strange sensation in her head, as if the blood were being drained from it. Her knees buckled, and she stayed upright only because Obi-Wan made sure to keep her that way.

Despair was the only thing she knew. The voice was all too familiar to her, and she had heard it almost laughing in glee at the pain of others more times than she could care to count. The voice she heard was the voice of a monstrosity. It was the voice that had been a subject of her nightmares for her entire life. It was the voice of the man who had tried to train her up to be a Lady of the Sith, and it was the voice of everything wrong in the galaxy. It was the voice of her father.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan hissed, trying not to make his speaking obvious. Aishling looked up at him, trying to recover her senses. She felt a little of her strength return, and she tried to separate her emotions from her rational mind. She could feel her pulse drowned out sound, but she decided to fight it.

She took a deep breath. She pulled herself upright using Obi-Wan for support. She didn't feel steady by any means. She could still feel the unsteadiness riddling her body. She pushed the fear down within herself, and she felt her senses clearing slightly. She looked up at Obi-Wan. "We have a killer to catch — Sith, I'd reckon. We need to catch him or her, and then we can worry about the Grand Army of the Republic and this."

Obi-Wan's lips quirked upwards in a smile. He nodded, and for what was properly the first time in her life, she felt something akin to pride swell in her chest in addition to the ghostly fear. She decided it was a feeling she liked, and she would definitely do her best to feel that way again. "Well said, Aishling. You are doing well hiding your emotions."

Aishling's eyebrows flew up her face. "I am? You're sure?" She let out a shaky laugh. "That would a true first." She smiled, and she decided that she loved the way smiling stretched her cheeks. For some reason, she felt the strangest urge to hug Obi-Wan in gratitude, and she couldn't understand it. She had looked up to him as a hero; why would she want to hug him?

"Yes."


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

22 BBY:

"Yes." The word shook Aishling out of her inner confusion at her emotions. She jolted and panted slightly, recovering her senses. However, allowing that bit of surprise also allowed a bit of her fear in. However, as she had just a moment earlier, she managed to push it down, and she felt empowered. She felt freer than she had in her entire life.

"I rather li —" Aishling's words died on her tongue as she heard what her father was saying. Obi-Wan followed her lead, also listening to the Supreme Chancellor. Quickly, however, Aishling decided that her father was speaking purely to manipulate. She was able to recognize the tone as the one always used on her far too easily. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead on her hands. She grimaced, fearing what the response of the audience would be.

To her, it was the worst possible scenario come to life. The entire Senate had fallen beneath her father's spell. Aishling felt bile rise in her throat, and fear constricted her chest. She gasped for breath before she sucked in a couple deep breaths and exhaled them.

There were footsteps behind them, but these footsteps made those of a mouse sound like thunder. Neither Aishling nor Obi-Wan heard their approach. AIshling just stood there, horrified, while Obi-Wan stood next to her, unsure of what was wrong. And there was someone watching them; their disguises had not been quite as effective as hoped.

A laugh came from behind them, and Aishling barely managed to bite down her shriek. Both she and Obi-Wan whirled around. When Aishling saw the owner of the laugh, she couldn't help but shake her head. She couldn't help but to hide behind Obi-Wan. She couldn't help but let the tears fall from her eyes.

"Do you know this woman?" Obi-Wan asked, but he got no response from Aishling, who had sank down to her knees, sobbing. "Aishling?" No response could be gotten from the woman. Obi-Wan looked the newcomer up and down, trying to determine what had elicited that sort of response from Aishling. There was nothing that could have warranted it except for her cloak. It was the same one they had both seen on the murderer of Darth Tyranus.

"We've never talked, but we share a history," the woman drawled, a cat-like grin spreading across her face. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and turned, trying to look at Aishling to see her reaction to all of this. He only saw her staring pensively at the floor, tears rapidly dripping from her cheeks to the floor.

Obi-Wan held his hand out to Aishling, trying to help her up, but the woman only laughed. "What is the history you share?" Obi-Wan prodded, feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"One that warrants revenge," the woman replied in her drawn out syllables. She drew her lightsaber, and much to Obi-Wans surprise, when she turned it on, it was a Jedi color.

Her face pale, Aishling quaked, but nonetheless, she rose and stood. "What was your name?" Her eyes were red like blood, and had Aishling been more of poet, she would have said it was the blood of her heart leaking out through the windows to her soul.

"Bodil. Revenge. Revenge that I must take on you," Bodil growled, her drawl slipping as her anger began to overtake her. "Draw your blade."

Aishling shook her head, and instead of obeying, she knelt down before Bodil and bowed her head. She stared down at the other woman's feet, not feeling that she was worth looking any higher. She barely recognized this woman, but she knew that this woman did deserve revenge on Aishling, even though the woman had spared her life. "I will not draw my blade. Kill me, end it all. Please. I don't deserve to live. Have your revenge on me for that day. It'd be for the better. Kill my father too, please. He destroys, and he manipulates, and you should rid the universe of all Sith."

26 BBY:

Aishling knew she had to keep the charade of being a proper Sith going, no matter how low her skill level was. If she failed, her father would get a new apprentice, one who was like Maul and liked to torture people. But she was tortured by the deeds she did for this end, and she felt the tears in her eyes at what she was doing. She had been given a lightsaber years back and it was not a gift, just a curse.

Her father had sent her to capture a man called Dooku. She ultimately failed in that mission, but what she did ultimately drove Dooku to become Darth Tyranus. But the rest of her actions also had consequences.

She slaughtered almost all of the people on the base. She could remember letting some of them live. One was a young Jedi Knight. She had short ginger hair spiked up as much as possible, and she seemed more innocent than the rest. She had two different eye colors, and she seemed to be afraid if Aishling.

Aishling assumed that she had seen many if her comrades fall. Aishling almost broke down right then and there, but she couldn't let her charade fall. She made a shooing motion with her hand and told the woman to go.

22 BBY:

Bodil lowered her weapon, much to Obi-Wan's joy and Aishling's dismay. Aishling had hoped that Bodil would go through with it, would end all of her struggles. She had to take this torment, and she had to live; she had to deal with the cards she was dealt, no matter how much she feared it.

Obi-Wan helped Aishling to her feet, and she provided him with no resistance. "What happened between the two of you, Aishling?" He held her against his body, keeping her upright because he didn't think she would stay upright on her own. He was right.

"You realized I was the one who killed all those people at that fort . . . .Bodil was there. . . she was one of those I let go. She has every right to just. . . kill me. She should just. . . ." Aishling trailed off, unable to form the words, breaking off into a sob.

"You deserve a second chance, Aishling. Understand that," Obi-Wan replied. He hardly knew Aishling, but he felt a debt to her. She had saved him and Anakin. She had lasted for so long being tortured emotionally. He admired her, and he pitied her. Aishling shook her head and warily glanced at Bodil.

"Well, now that we found the murderer of Tyranus, I guess I should say. . . ." As Aishling thought about what she was going to say, the collection of who Bodil was and what her father was up to proved to be too much for her. She fainted.

"Aishling?" Obi-Wan asked. "Aishling?" He patted her cheeks gently, trying to get her to respond.

Bodil chuckled. "This was so not what I would have expected from someone who ruined my life."

আ

It was only about ten minutes later that Aishling regained consciousness, but to both Bodil and Obi-Wan, it felt like a lot longer. Aishling groaned, moving to sit up, only to find her head swimming. She bit back a curse.

"What were you going to say before you fainted?" queried Obi-Wan, who stared at Aishling patiently, waiting for the woman's recovery.

Aishling took a deep breath, and she allowed a tear to flow down her cheek. She coughed, the sound strangled by her tears. She breathed, and the air hurt her throat that was still hoarse from her tears. "I - my," she swallowed, choking on her words, "my father, the Sith Lord, is the Supreme Chancellor." She bit her lower lip and looked up to Obi-Wan and Bodil. "My name is Aishling Palpatine." She lowered her gaze to her feet.

"We ought to go tell the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said, looking between the two women. He wasn't sure either woman would want to be the one to deliver the news, even though it was the right thing to do. He stood up, and Aishling slid from his arms.

Bodil looked at Obi-Wan skeptically. "Do you think there's a snowball's chance in hell of my going there?" Aishling coughed slightly, trying to hide her laugh. Obi-Wan almost look affronted. Aishling felt fear hold her heart in its iron grip; what would her father do if the council didn't know? What could he do?

"We need to tell them. It is our duty to tell them," Obi-Wan insisted, pursing his lips and staring at Bodil. When Bodil failed to budge, Obi-Wan looked to Aishling for support. Aishling's eyes widened, and she could tell her heart beat a little faster. She didn't understand why.

Hesitantly, Aishling whispered, "Neither of you is going to change sides." She looked away from both, and she closed her eyes. Her opinion never had been welcomed with open arms. She was not sure what to do with the idea of freely expressing her opinion. Stuttering, she added, "How about a middle?"

Bodil and Obi-Wan looked at each other for a second before sighing, reluctantly agreeing that a middle would be necessary. The problem was determining exactly what that middle would be.

"We can't tell them because then they will find out I murdered Count Dooku!" Bodil insisted, her face bright red from the strength of her emotion. Obi-Wan shook his head adamantly, looking at Bodil as he would Anakin when the boy was unruly.

"And if we don't, the Sith Lord will have control of the Jedi," Obi-Wan pointed out sagely, gesturing towards where the Supreme Chancellor stood in his pod. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan failed to turn around.

The next thing they heard was the commanding, persuasive voice of Aishling's father commanding the guards to get them. Aishling looked between Bodil and Obi-Wan, her mouth slightly open as she blinked back tears. Her breath came shorter and faster, but still she managed to whisper, "How about we run and hide?"


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

22 BBY:

An hour had passed before they found a proper hiding spot; the Supreme Chancellor's guards had blocked off all the exits. Aishling could feel her heart beating ferally in her chest, and she could feel the thin sheen of sweat make her skin sticky. She had just begun to feel like she could do something, just begun. And now, this happened. It was as if everything had conspired to keep her weak.

"We need to head back to the Temple this instant," Bodil whispered, not letting any apprehension she possibly had show. Aishling looked to Obi-Wan, who nodded his agreement to Bodil's plan. Aishling quickly nodded in agreement.

Aishling peeked out of their hiding spot only to see guards ranging the corridors. She let out a soft curse and turned to the others. "We're a bit stuck, at least for now." She sighed. "Do you think we'll be able to get out?"

আ

Five hours later, they did get out. However, their little trio had been divided into a group of two and a group of one, just as it had begun. Their plan was to run to a back entrance and find a speeder.

Unfortunately, a wandering guard saw their expedition. "Halt!" the guard shouted, his voice rough. All three whirled around, and both Bodil and Obi-Wan instinctively switched on their lightsabers just as Aishling began to back away. Obi-Wan, without even looking, slipped his hand into hers.

Aishling almost started in surprise, but she didn't move. Almost as if Obi-Wan's calm were invading her own mind, she took deep breaths, trying to hide from her panic. She could feel the heat rising to her face, but she couldn't tell whether it was adrenaline or her contact with Obi-Wan.

The guard fired a bolt from his blaster, and Obi-Wan was forced to release Aishling's hand even though it was Bodil who deflected the shot. Another shot was fired, and the guard had clearly identified Aishling as the weakest link as his next shot was aimed at her.

Aishling ducked, but it was a second too late. The bolt grazed her arm, and Aishling cried out in pain, flinching back away from the others. Obi-Wan turned the instant he heard her cry, leaving Bodil to be the only one to defend them.

Obi-Wan helped Aishling to her feet, dragging her up by her good arm. "Quite accident prone you are." Trying not to think that she let these injuries occur to her because she honestly didn't really care, Aishling bit her lip. Obi-Wan frowned slightly at her lack of response, but he was polite enough not to say anything.

"Bodil will cover us," Aishling whispered, gesturing towards the door. "She's meant to fight to save others." Obi-Wan frowned at this.

"You think it her duty to die for us? Do you think that my duty?" There was a sort of pity, horror, in Obi-Wan's voice that made Aishling flinch away from him. Obi-Wan stared at her for a second longer, and Aishling felt a blush creeping up her neck as she looked down.

Stuttering and beginning to walk towards the exit, Aishling retorted in a low voice, "It is the best ending any person can hope for. The best life as well." Obi-Wan looked at her, then, and the color of understanding and sympathy vaguely touched his cheeks. Aishling didn't notice, though, and through her mind, fear of upsetting Obi-Wan and anger at her own self for upsetting her plaguing her chest — for it overflowed from her heart — and mind.

Her breathing sped up, and she could feel the Force within her writhing. One of her hands fluttered up to her chest. She sank to one knee. She began to feel dizzy, and she dug her nails into her flesh to keep herself awake. The pain gave clarity to her thoughts.

She dared a glance up at Obi-Wan, who deflected a couple blaster bolts in the time she looked at him, and then at Bodil, who didn't even bother to acknowledge her. "We must all go if that is all our wishes. I think going to the Jedi Council in secret is now our best plan." Bodil glared at her, deflecting bolts sheerly on instinct. Aishling was more than a bit impressed. "No blame shall be on you."

Bodil started backing away with the others, and only a few minutes passed before they were in a speeder with Bodil driving. Aishling clutched the side of the speeder, spewing filthy curses beneath her breath.

আ

Back at the Jedi Temple, it was impossible to tell whose bow was the lowest between Bodil's and Aishling's. "My lords," Aishling spoke, her tone filled with veneration for her listeners. "We have found the murderer of the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus." With this, she motioned to Bodil. "Now, I know you have no reason to trust me and every reason to hate me. What Bodil has done is because of me. I request that she is cared for well and that the blame for her actions is placed on me as it is my fault." Aishling bowed deeply, her forehead resting on the cold floor. "Thank you."

"We have not yet agreed," Mace Windu began, before he nodded his head. "But we will certainly consider it. Now, off the floor." Obi-Wan wondered if Windu could see how Aishling was trembling, or if he noticed how there were tears in her eyes. For some reason, Obi-Wan wanted to draw Aishling into his arms and protect her.

Her voice trembling, Aishling repeated, "Thank you, my lords. Thank you!" She let a tear flow down her cheek. She didn't want to, but she could not stop it.

Obi-Wan stepped in front of Aishling, his hand automatically moving into hers as a form of comfort. If anyone except Aishling noticed, they didn't acknowledge it. Aishling's breathing, however, steadied slightly, and her shaking subsided marginally. "Perhaps you could consider her becoming a Jedi?"

"What?!" Aishling exclaimed, her eyes widening. This was not at all what she had expected. She was to be blamed for the crimes she had driven another woman to commit. Trembling again, she looked from Obi-Wan to the floor. She wasn't sure she could take it if she were rejected. Her knees buckled, and there was no sound as the now clearly visible metal healing device on her leg hit the ground.

All eyes were on Aishling in that moment, and Aishling herself shrieked. She was still wearing the device, the one that was supposed to have made her need the hoverchair for running. So, why then, had she been able to go on a mission? Why hadn't she noticed it at all on said mission? She rubbed the device, or she would have, but her hand went right through the device. There was only one explanation: there was a traitor projecting the image. Aishling curse, forgetting that it was inappropriate to do so here. People's stares became even more amused.

"Another traitor it seems in our midst there is," Yoda proclaimed, and the Jedi Council murmured its agreement. "Consider Obi-Wan's suggestion we must."

Aishling stared at Yoda and then at Obi-Wan. And then, she wasn't staring at anything except blackness. Aishling had fainted.

আ

Aishling groaned as she opened her eyes, images swarming her head. Sounds. . .she could hear those now too. That was good. It meant she had regained her consciousness.

"Good. You're awake." Aishling heard the voice, but it took her a second to fully register the words. At the same moment she did that, she realized who the owner of the words was. Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Yeah. . . ." Aishling replied, looking around the room. She was still in the Council Room and not in the Infirmary, so she couldn't have been out for all that long. Aishling sighed, pushing herself to her feet.

"Prepare yourself," Obi-Wan whispered, approaching just enough so that Aishling was the only one who could hear him. He opened his mouth to continue, but Bodil spoke first.

"They're going to try to make a Jedi out of you." Aishling couldn't tell what emotions were contained in Bodil's voice, but Aishling suspected that it wasn't happiness. "I hope they manage it. What you've done is horrible."

Aishling's gaze immediately shifted to the floor. Her throat felt raw, like it always did, and she could feel the warmth of tears forming in her eyes. "I know, and what I've seen is worse. What I did was mercy in comparison."

Obi-Wan placed a hand on both women's shoulder. "Look. You've both been hurt and you've both seen horrible things."

Aishling froze. She had caused the horrible things Bodil had seen. Turning away from Obi-Wan, Aishling scowled and sank to her knees. She didn't look up as she crawled away from them over to the center of the floor.

The Jedi Masters had heard only various amounts of what said, but none heard all of it. What they did know was that the girl was broken, and that her knowledge of the Sith could be useful to them if she did not fear them.

"Miss Aishling, what was your last name? We need it so we may instate you," Mace Windu asked, his voice steady and kind. Aishling chanced a glance up at Windu, a glance containing all her few hopes.

Aishling bit the inside of her lower lip. "I'd like to be called Aisha, my lord. Aisha Skywalker." She blinked once or twice at Windu, who nodded in reply. Despite the tears in her eyes, a smile broke across her visage. They were letting her have a new start. Something in her chest shifted, shifted so that the world seemed less heavy, less horrible. Perhaps, Aishling, Aisha, had true hope. Now, her restrictions truly were her own: her fear, her own trauma, her own self-hatred.

The ceremony wasn't long, not nearly as long as Aisha or any non Jedi really would have expected, lasting maybe 15 minutes at most. By the end of it, Aisha was grinning, tears streaming down her cheeks in torrents.

"Obi-Wan, If you could please show Aisha her rooms," Windu said, and Obi-Wan bowed shortly, trying to ignore the distance that Aisha did her best to place between them. "In the morning, you will both, along with Bodil, work on weeding out the traitor."

"Thank you, my lords," Aisha said, bowing. She scowled at Obi-Wan, but anger wasn't what fueled the fire in her gaze; no, it was hurt.

Obi-Wan led the quarters — he knew what room she would be getting on the sole premise of the newest people always got the rooms at the farthest end. Aisha followed obediently, her stare fixed on the floor.

Obi-Wan swallowed, drawing in a deep breath. "Aishling — Aisha, I'm sorry for saying that. I didn't think."

Aisha drew in a deep breath. She turned and looked at her, her heart thumping against her chest. She closed her eyes. Finally, she spoke, "No, no. . . .It's deserved all of it. All of it and worse. It just hurts, even though it was the best I could do for them."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and stretched his hand out to her, not sure whether to expect her to take his hand in hers or not. Seconds later, there was the weight of her hand in his. He used her hand to drag her in closer. "If you ever need to talk, I'll try not to judge you. I'll do my best to support you."

A smile dragged the corners of Aisha's mouth upwards. It was a good thought, and her heart began beating quickly. Someone she could rely on, trust, would be something she had never experienced and something she very much wanted to experience. But he knew what she had done, and without meaning to, he had judged her. Somehow, she had a feeling she would certainly take him up on his offer soon. Just not as soon as either would like. "Thank you." She closed her eyes and hugged him.

"I will start working with you on Jedi skills in the morning, and we will find the traitor. We will figure out what to do with Palpatine's being a traitor." Obi-Wan nodded at Aisha and gestured for her to enter her room. He spun on his heel and walked away from her room.

Aisha entered, wondering if it was truly real. She was now a Jedi. She had someone she could likely rely on. She could be strong. That being said, she walked over to the new bed. She had never had so much kindness done to her. It was foreign, and it felt good on the outside, but it scarcely penetrated. She knew that she was in a better place, and for now, that would be enough. In time, she might truly manage happiness and no fear.

When she fell asleep, the tears drying on her cheek weren't just tears of fear. There were tears of joy too.


End file.
